Door lock



'Nov. 26, 1957 J. H. ROETHEL DOOR LOCK Original Filed July 2. 1949 United States Patent DOOR LOCK John H. Roethel, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Roethel Engineering Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Original application July 2, 1949, Serial No. 102,833. and this application March 15, 1950, Serial No. 9

4 Claims. (Cl. 292-280) This invention relates to a latch mechanism for swinging doors, particularly the doors of automobile or other vehicle bodies, an object of the invention 'being to provide an improved door latch mechanism which is characterized by its simplicity and compactness in construc tion and which is relatively small in size, economical to manufacture, comparatively quiet in operation and elricient in use.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved door latch mechanism in which the detent means for holding the rotary latch device in latching position is pivotally actuated 'by a swinging lever mounted on the plate or jamb portion of the latch support or case plate, the lever having a part cooperable with the detent means and a second part movable toward the flange of the case plate upon swinging the lever, the latch mechanism also embodying a pivotally mounted link means adapted to be swung into a blocking position with respect to said lever by means manually operable from the inside of the door.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved door latch mechanism having a rotatable latch device controlled by means of a pivoted detent or the like, and having a swinging lever mounted on the latch support for swinging or pivotally actuating the detent to disengage the same from the latch device, the latch mechanism embodying improved inside manually controlla'ble means for causing operation of the outside manually operable means to be restrained or rendered inoperative, a particular object in connection with this aspect of the invention being to provide a pivotally mounted member which is shiftable into position to cause the swinging lever to be restrained against pivotally actuating the detent to disengage the same from the latch device.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved door latch mechanism in which the detent means for holding the rotary latch device in door latching position is pivotally actuated by outer manually operable means having a part movable toward the flange of the case plate or support, the latch mechanism embodying link means pivotally mounted on the latch support adapted to be swung into and out of blocking position with respect to the outer manually operable means through the medium of means manually operable from the inside of the door.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following descriptions and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation taken substantially through lines 1-1 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating a door lock constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section taken substantially through lines 2-2 of'Fig. 1 looking in the'direction of the, arrows.

2,814,519 Patented Nov. 26, 1957 Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken substantially through lines 33 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating a door lock constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially through lines 4--4 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Before explaining in detail the present invention it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments, and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed therein is 'for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 102,833, filed July 2, 1949, and also a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 141,125, filed January 28, 1950, now Patent No. 2,706,128, granted April 12, 1955. 1

'In the drawings there are illustrated, by way of example, certain embodiments of the present invention as applied to the door and door frame structures of an automobile body. The latch device constructed in accordance with the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a case plate 10 which is adapted to be secured, as by means of screws, to the inner side of the jarnb portion of a vehicle door, the case plate 10 having a flange 11 which is adapted to be positioned along the inner panel of the door. The present latch device is provided with a rotatable toothed latch or bolt 12 positioned at the outer face of the case plate 10, this latch having an integral projecting stub shaft or pivot 13 extending through an aperture in the case plate which is formed with a bearing for the stub shaft. The inner end of the stub shaft 13 is flattened and extended through a cor-respondingly shaped aperture in a rotatable toothed detent engaging member or ratchet member 14 and is riveted thereto. From the foregoing construction it will be seen that the toothed latch or bolt 12 is rigidly secured to the detent engaging member 14, being concentric therewith on the stud 13.

The rotatable latch or bolt 12 is formed with a num- 'ber of radially projecting tooth-like projections 12a, such as six, which are spaced equally entirely around the periphery of the latch so as to provide in effect a gear type latch. The detent engaging member or ratchet 14 is formed around its periphery with a number of abutments or shoulders 14a which correspond in number to the number of tooth-like projections 12a. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment the latch 12 has, for example, six tooth-like projections 12a and the detent engaging member 14 has six equally spaced detent engaging abutments or shoulders 14a. The periphery of the ratchet 14 between the adjacent shoulders or abutments 14a is formed with inclined and preferably curved camming surface 14b, each surface connecting the outer edge of one shoulder 14a with the bottom edge of an adjacent shoulder.

Cooperable with the peripheral notched edge of the ratchet 14 is a swinging detent, pawl, or dog 15 pivotally mounted on a shoulder rivet 16 secured to the case plate 10. The detent 15, as seen in Fig. l, is a multi-anned member having one arm 17 extending in a substantially upward direction and cooperable with the teeth or projections 14a of the ratchet member 14. The detent arm 17 is engageable with any one of the teeth 14a in the manner shown in Fig. 1 to hold the ratchet member and hence the bolt 12 in locking position against rotation in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. l. A second arm 18 of the detent member 15 extends in a substantially horizontal direction toward the flange 11 and a third arm 19 extends in a downward and outward direction. Thus,

the detent in the present embodiment is provided with three arms 17, 18 and 19 and is preferably formed from a piece of flat metal stock.

Associated with the detent is a vertically extending detent actuating or release lever 20 which is pivoted intermediate its ends upon a shoulder rivet or stud 211secured to the case plate. This lever has a lever arm 22 extending downwardly below the pivot 21 and terminating in a hook-like projection 22a which overlies the downwardly extending detent arm 19. The inner end of the hook-like projection 22a is embossed to form a curved lug 22b engaging the inner edge 19a of the detent arm 19. By virtue of this construction the lever arm 22 and the detent arm 19 are interconnected so that if the lever arm is swung about its pivotal axis in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 1 it will swing the detent member 15 about its pivotal axis in a counterclockwise direction.

The detent release lever 20 also has an upwardly extending lever arm 23 formed with a flange 23a thereon. This lever arm 23 is adapted to be engaged on the outer side of the flange 2311 by an outside manually operable means, such as a push button 24, for importing pivotal or swinging movement to the lever 20 about its pivot 21. The release lever 20 is also provided with a third arm 25 extending in a substantially horizontal direction toward the flange 11. Thus the release lever 20 herein shown is provided with three arms 22, 23 and 25 and is preferably formed from a piece of flat metal stock.

The detent arm 17 is yieldingly urged toward the ratchet 14 and the release lever 20 is similarly urged toward its normal position seen in Fig. 1 by means of a single coiled spring 26 anchored at its inner end to a retainer 27 lanced out of the case plate 10. This spring has an upwardly extending arm 26a engageable with the under edge of the detent arm 18 and urges this arm and therefore the whole detent member 15 in a clockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 1, about the pivotal axis 16 so as to yieldingly hold the detent arm 17 in latching engagement with a tooth 14a of the ratchet 14. Due to the interlocking connection between the hook portion 22a of the release lever 22 andthe arm 19 of the detent member 15, the spring 26 will also function to urge the lever arm 22 inwardly toward the flange 11 and the lever arm 23 outwardly so as to maintain them in the normal nonoperating position shown in Fig. 1. Thus, a single spring 26 is utilized to maintain the detent and release lever in their normal positions. The spring 26 urges the lower arm -22.of the release lever inwardly to a position governed by a stop which is in the form of a lug 28 struck out from the case plate 10 and positioned for engagement by the outer edge of the lever arm 22, as shown in Fig. l. A light anti-rattle spring 29 may be provided to hold the lever arm 22 against the stop 28when the detent arm 19 is moved relatively to the lever arm 22. The coiled spring 29 is suitably selected as to strengthand has one arm connected to the lever arm 23 and the opposite end connected to the case plate 10.

The present latch device is preferably operated from the inside of the door through the medium of a remote control mechanism comprising a longitudinally shiftable draft link 30 which is pivoted at 31 to the lower end of one arm 32a of a bell crank lever 32, see Fig.4. This lever is pivoted on the shank of a shoulder rivet 33 secured to the case plate flange 11 and is provided with a projecting arm 32b overlying at its inner end the release lever arm 25, see Fig. 1. The remote control mechanism is preferably manually actuated from the inside of the door remote from the case plate 10 by means of a door handle which may be turned in the desired direction.

In accordance with the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 means is provided for restraining or blocking the detent release lever 20 against operation from the outside or inside of the door. The blocking means comprises a link 34 pivoted intermediate its ends on a stud 35 secured to the case plate 10 and-con- 4 trolled by means of a slide 36. The link 34 has an arm 34a adapted to be moved into position to lie between the stud 35 and flange 23a of the lever arm 23. The link also has inwardly extending arm 34b projecting into an aperture or notch 37 in the slide 36 and is thereby interlocked with the slide.

The slide 36 which controls the operation of the link 35 may be shifted either by manually operable means at the inside of the door or by a key operated lock from the outside of the door. The slide 36 is guided on the case plate flange 11 by means of upper and lower headed guide studs or pins 38 and 39 secured to the case plate flange and extending, respectively, through vertical guide slots 40 and 41 in the slide.

The manually operable means at the inside of the door for shifting the slide upwardly to its upper limit as determined by the guide studs 38 and 39 and returning it to its normal position comprises a lever 42 pivotally mounted on a stud 43 secured to the case plate flange 11. This lever has a projecting arm 42a terminating in a rounded end 42b lying within the space between two lugs 36a and 36b struck up from the slide. Pivoted at 44 to the outer end of the lever 42 is a vertically shiftable rod or plunger 45 which extends upwardly through the garnish molding at the inner side of the glass channel of the door. This rod carries at its upper end a knob 46 which may be manipulated at the inside of the door to shift the plunger vertically in either direction, thereby rocking the lever 42 and shifting the slide 36 vertically in either direction between limits governed by the height of the guide slots 40 and 41. The slide 36 is yieldingly held and urged toward its upper and lower limits of movement by means of a snap-over spring 47, see Fig. 4, of suitable strength attached at one end to the slide and at the opposite end to the case plate flange 11. From the foregoing construction it will be apparent that by pressing the knob 46 downwardly to rock the lever 42, the slide 36 will be raised so as to swing the arm 34b upwardly thus rocking the arm 34a downwardly and intcrposing it between the fixed stud 35 and the flange 23a of the lever arm 23. The lever 23.will then be blocked by the arm 34a and stud 35. Reverse movement of the slide 36 will, of course, restore the link 34 to its normal position and unblock the release lever.

To ensure that the door cannot be inadvertently locked when opened, there is provided a kickout means which will restore the shiftable link 34 to a position wherein the arm 34a thereon is not in opposing relation to the flange 23a. In Fig. 1 the slide 36 is shown notched at 48 to provide clearance for the end of the detent arm 18. However, the bottom edge 49 of the notch 43 is positioned so that with the slide 36 in its uppermost position the edge 49 is almost in contact with the lower edge of the detent arm 18. The detent arm 18 is of sufficient length to ensure contact with the edge 49 and the case plate flange 11 is notched as at 50 to provide the necessary clearance for the end of the detent arm 18.

Thus, in the event the slide 36 is shifted upwardly when the door is open and the door is swung to closed position, rotation of the ratchet member 14 will cause one of the cam surfaces 14b to engage the detent arm 18 and by camming action swing the detent and therefore the detent arm 18 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1. The downward movement of the detent arm 18 will force the slide 36 downwardly resulting in the link 34 being returned to the unblocked or normal position. With this construction the vehicle door can only be locked from-the outside when in the closed position.

If it is desired to eliminate the kickout means from the lock either one or two simple modifications may be made in the lock structure. The length of the detent arm 18 may be shortened thus allowing this arm to swing downwardly without contacting the edge 49 of the notch 48 in the slide'36 or the depth of the notch 48 may be increased so that the edge 49 will not underlie the lower edge of the arm 18 thus allowing the arm 18. toswing freely within the notch 48..

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 is in many respects similar to that heretofore described with respect to Figs. 1 and 2, differing therefrom mainly in the location of the detent and the release lever. It comprises a case plate 60 adapted to be secured to the jamb portion of a vehicle door and having a flange portion 61 adapted to be positioned along the inner panel of the door in the same manner as the case plate and its flange 11. The present latch device is also provided with a rotatable toothed latch or bolt 12 positioned on the lower portion and at the outer face of the case plate 60, this latch having an integral projecting stub shaft or pivot 13 extending through an aperture inthe case plate which is formed with a bearing for the stub shaft. A toothed detent'engaging member or ratchet member 14 is fastened on the inner end of the stub shaft 13 as in the previously described embodiment. Pivotally mounted on a shoulder rivet 62 secured to the case plate 60 above the pivotal axis of the latch bolt 12 is a swinging detent, pawl or dog 63 which has a downwardly extending detent arm 64 cooperable with the teeth or projections 14a of the ratchet member 14. Extending from the outer part of the detent arm 64 in an outward and downward direction is a hook-like arm 65, this arm lying substantially in the plane of the ratchet member 14 and spaced outwardly therefrom. The detent is also provided with an inwardly extending arm or extension 66. The detent 63 thus is provided with three arms 64, 65 and 66 and is preferably formed from a piece of flat metal stock.

Associated with the detent is a vertically extending detent actuating or release lever 67 which is pivoted intermediate its ends upon a shoulder rivet or stud 68 secured to the case plate. This lever has a lever arm 69 extending downwardly below the pivot 68 and terminating in a hook-like portion 69a which overlies the detent arm 65. The inner end of the hook-like projection 69a is embossed to form a curved lug 69b engaging the inner edge 65a of the detent arm 65. By virtue of this construction the lever arm 69 and detent arm 65 are interconnected by means of the lug or projection 69b on the hook-like portion 69a engaging beneath an extended portion of the detent arm 64. The detent release lever 67 also has an upwardly extending lever arm 74). The upper end of the lever arm 70 is enlarged and formed with a widened flange 71.

The detent arm 64 is yieldingly urged toward the toothed latch member or ratchet 14 and the release lever 67 is similarly urged toward its normal position shown in Fig. 3 by means of a single coiled spring 72 anchored at its inner end to a retainer 73 lanced out of the case plate. This spring has ado-wnwardly extending arm 72a engageable with the upper edge of the detent arm 64 so as to yieldingly hold the arm in latching engagement with the tooth 14a of the ratchet 14. Due to the interlocking connection between the hook portion 69a of the release lever arm 69 and the extension 65 of the detent arm 64, the spring 72 will also function to urge the lever arm 69 inwardly and the lever arm 70 outwardly so as to maintain them in the normal non-operating position shown in Fig. 3. Thus a single spring 72 is utilized to restore the detent and release lever to their normal positions. The spring 72 thus urges the upper lever arm 70 of the release lever 67 outwardly to a position governed by a stop 74 which is in the form of a lug struck out from the case plate and positioned for engagement by the outer edge of the lever arm 70 as shown in Fig. 3. A light anti-rattle spring 75 may be provided to hold the lever arm 70 against the stop 74 when the detent arm 64 is swung upward-1y relative to the lever arm 69. The coiled spring 75 is suitably selected as to strength and has one arm connected to the lever arm 70 and the opposite end connected to the case plate 60.

The present latch device, as in the previously described embodiment, is preferably operated from the inside of the door through the medium of a remote control mechanism comprising a longitudinally shiftable draft link 29 which is pivoted at 30 to the lower end of 'one arm 31a of a bell crank lever 31. This lever is pivoted on the shank of a shoulder rivet 32 secured to the case plate flange 61 and is provided with a projecting arm 31b overlying at its inner end the detent arm 66, see Figs. 3 and 4. The remote control mechanism is preferably manually actuated from the inside of the door remote from the case plate 60 by means of a door handle which may be turned in the desired direction.

In accordance with the present embodiment of the invention means is provided for restraining or blocking the detent release lever 67 against operation from the outside of the door only. This embodiment differs from the previous embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 in that the blocking means illustrated therein was effective to block operation of the detent release lever against operation from the outside or the inside of the door. In the present embodiment operation of the detent release lever from the outside of the door only is blocked since the detent is disengageable from the ratchet by the inside remote control means independently of the detent release lever. The blocking means comprises a link 76 pivoted intermediate its ends on a stud 77 secured to the case plate 16 and controlled by means of a slide 78. The link 76 has an arm 76a adapted to be moved into position to lie between the stud 77 and the flange 71 of the lever arm 70. The link also has an inwardly extending arm 76b projecting into an aperture or a notch 79 in the slide 78 and is thereby interlocked with the slide. The case plate 60 is notched as at 60a to provide clearance for the end of the arm 76b. I The slide 78, which controls the operation of the link 76, may be shifted either by manually operable means in the inside of the door or by a key operated lock from the outside of the door. The manually operable means at the inside of the door for shifting the slide is similar to that described for shifting the slide 36 of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The rounded end 42b of the lever 42 is positioned between two upstanding lugs 80 and 81 positioned at the uppermost end of the slide 78. In Fig. 4 is illustrated the construction utilized to provide a means for actuating the slide 78 through a key controlled device operable from the outside of the door. The slide 78 is provided with a depending extension 78a which is operatively engaged by a swinging crank arm 82. The end 82a of the crank arm lies between two spaced apart lugs 83 and 84 struck up from the slide extension 82a. The crank arm 82 is pivoted at 85 to the case plate 60 and is provided with 'a substantially rectangular opening 86 at the locality of its pivot to receive the key actuated shaft on any conventional lock having the usual key control. By turning the key in the lock in the outside of the door the crank arm 82 may be swung to shift the slide vertically in one direction or the other either to shift the link 76 in opposing relation to the lever arm flange 71 or to'restore it to its normal position as shown in Fig. 3. It will be understood that the construction just described is applicable for shifting the slide 36 of the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

1. In a latch mechanism for a swinging door, a support having a main portion for disposition at the free edge wall of the door and terminating at its inner edge in a flange portion, 'a rotatable latch device mounted on said main portion, detent means pivotally mounted on said main portion and having an arm engageable with said latch device for holding the same in latching position, a generally vertically extending swinging lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said main portion and having a blocking portion, push button means adapted to be mounted on the outer panel of the door for swinging the upper ,end of said lever toward said flange jportion thereby-swinging the .lower. end away from said flange portion, the .lower end of said lever having a part adapted to engage said detentmeans arm upon swinging movement of said lower end away from said flange thereby to swing saiddetent means to disengage it from the latch device, inner manually operable meansi operative through said lever for pivotally moving said detent means out of holding positionwith respect to said latch device and including a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on said flange, meansufor.simultaneously blocking pivotal movement of said vertically extending lever and said bell crank lever, said last named means including a member pivotally mounted on said support for swinging movement, said member having blocking means for cooperation with said blocking portion, and inner manually operable means connected to saidmember for swinging the same into and out of blocking position.

2. Ina latch mechanism fora swinging door, a support having a mainportion for disposition at the free edge wall of the door and terminating at its inner edge in a flange portion, .a rotatable latch device mounted on said main portiomdetent means pivotally mounted on said main portion and having an arm engageable with said latch device for holding the same in latching position, a generally vertically extending swinging lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said main portion and having a blocking portion, push button means adapted to be mounted on the outer panel of the door for swinging the upper end of said levertoward said flange portion thereby swinging the lower end away from said flange portion, the lower end of said lever having a part adapted to engage said detentmeans armwupon swinging movement of said lowerend away from said flange thereby to swing said detent means to disengage it from the latch device, inner manually operable. meansoperative through said lever for pivotally moving said detent means out of holding position with respect to said latch device and including a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on said flange, pivotally movable means tonsimultaneously blocking pivotal movement of said vertically extending lever, and said bell crank lever, said pivotally movable means including blocking means for cooperation with said blocking portion, and inner manually operable means connected to said pivotally movable means, and operative to pivotally actuate the same to simultaneously block pivotal movement of said vertically extending lever and said bell crank lever.

3. sin a latch mechanism for a swinging door, a support having a plate portion for disposition at the door jamb and having a flange extending angularly from said plate portion. a rotatable latch device mounted on said plate portion, a lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said plate portion, a flange on said lever providing a blockingportion, detent means engageable with said latch device for holding it in door latching position, said detent means being pivotally mounted on said plate portion to swing independently of said lever, said lever at one sidesof the pivotal. axis'thcreof being provided with a part arranged in opposing relation to a part of said detent means to abut the same at the same side of the pivotal axesof said :lever and detent means upon swinging movement of said lever in one rotative direction thereby to pivotally move said detent means in the same rotative direction out of holding position with respect to said latch device, outer manually operable means cooperable with said lever at the other side of the pivotal axis thereof for swinging the same in said one rotative direction, inner manually operable means operative through said lever for pivotally moving said detent means in said rotative direction out of holding position with respect to said latch device and including a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on said flange, means for simultaneously blocking pivotal-movement of said outer manually operable lever and said bell crank lever, said last named means including a blocking member pivoted on said plate portion intermediate its ends to provide two arm portions, one armportion having blocking means for cooperation with said blocking portion, and inner manually operable means acting on said other arm portion for swinging said blocking member to dispose said blocking means in opposing relation to said blocking portion thereby to block swinging movement of said outer manually operable lever and said bell crank lever in said one rotative direction and render the same ineffective to move said detent means out of holding position with respect to said latch device.

4. In a latch mechanism for a swinging door, a support having a plate portion for disposition at the door jamb and terminating at its inner edge in a flange portion, a latch device pivotally mounted on said plate portion, detent means pivotally mounted on said plate portion for holding said latch device against rotation in its unlatching direction, a generally vertically extending swinging lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said plate portion and having a blocking portion, the pivot axis of said lever being spaced from the pivot axis of said latch device, outer manually operable means for swinging the upper end of said lever in one direction thereby swinging the lower end of the lever away from the pivot axis of said latch device, said lower end of the lever having a part arranged in opposing relation to said detent means and eflective to abut said detent means to pivotally move the same out of holding position with respect to said latch device upon swinging said lever in said one direction, inner manually operable means for pivotally moving said detent means in said one rotative direction out of holding position with respect to said latch device and including a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on said flange, said bell crank lever having an arm thereon in opposing relation to an arm on said lever, pivotally movable means for blocking pivotal movement of said vertically extending lever to thereby simultaneously render said outer manually operable means and said bell crank lever inetfective to swing said vertically extending lever, said pivotally movable means including blocking means for co-operation with said blocking portion, and inner manually operable means connected to said pivotally movable means for swinging the same to position said blocking means into and out of blocking position.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,789,775 Russ et al Ian. 20, 1931 2,094,413 Schonitzer Sept. 28, 1937 2,362,256 Endter Nov. 7, 1944 2,393,147 Cousino Jan. 15, 1946 2,394,646 Wagner Feb. 12, 1946 2,480,688 Allen Aug. 30, 1949 

